Chapter Ten - Amanda

Amanda didn’t drive off immediately. She watched Cameron’s slow gait as he approached his house, then disappeared inside. She didn’t know what had caused her to stop and ask if he needed a ride. A lot of people walked home from school—but she’d seen how his shoulders were stooped, his arms wrapped around his stomach like he was trying to stave off the cold.

Cameron had acted like her moment of kindness didn’t matter, but just as he was getting out of the Jeep, she’d seen the genuine person hidden beneath all those snide comments and obnoxious smirks. And it left her wanting to bring that side of him out more often.

When she arrived home, the lights were off and it was empty and quiet, but that wasn’t unusual. Her mom didn’t get home from work until seven or eight o’clock. Amanda didn’t usually mind it, but as the days grew shorter and it started to get dark earlier, having a large home was not an advantage. Every unexpected creak sent her running to turn every light in the house on. Her mom had stopped getting after her for wasting electricity, though she did say she could see their house from three blocks away with every window lit like a Christmas tree.

Amanda walked through their large entryway and threw her backpack down at the bottom of the spiral staircase. She’d grab it on her way up. First things first, though. Food. She looked in the fridge and took out leftovers from the night before. She liked to cook at least a couple of times a week, because eating takeout every night from Twisters, the only fast food restaurant in Lakeview, got old after a while.

As Amanda’s lasagna reheated in the microwave, she checked her phone. There was one text from her mom, reminding her to check in. Despite how much her mom had to work, she wasn’t a workaholic, and she didn’t want to be gone as much as she was—it was just where her path had taken her. It had been six years since Amanda had learned that people didn’t always choose where life led them—sometimes it chose for them.

She sent her mom a quick text, letting her know she was home from rehearsal, then grabbed her food and sat down on a barstool at the counter. She looked around the large kitchen with its industrial-sized equipment. It was just waiting for someone to use it. That had been her mom’s dream—to learn to cook gourmet dishes and have dinner parties every weekend—but it was one she was still waiting on. Her mom said that in six months, things would calm down and she’d be able to be home more, but she’d been saying the same thing for the past six years. That was the thing with owning her own business. It was always growing, developing, and changing. And as her mom’s interior design business evolved, the pressure seemed to increase.

Amanda’s phone vibrated with a new message.

Is this Amanda Barrett?

Amanda looked around her large, empty, and darkening house before getting up and checking their alarm box to make sure all the doors and windows were locked. She stared at her phone, wondering if she should respond, because she obviously hadn’t given this person her number. Curiosity won out, though.

Yes. Who is this?

Cameron Taylor, came the reply.

Okay, now she knew someone was messing with her. Because Cameron would never voluntarily contact her outside of school.

Who is this really?

I told you. This is Cameron Taylor.

Even through the text, she thought she could hear a hint of annoyance in the response. Maybe it really was Cameron after all.

Where did we first meet?

Seriously? Forget it. I’ll just tell my sister you didn’t respond to my text. I’ll let you deal with her.

Okay, it was him.

I’m sorry, Cameron. What do you need?

He didn’t answer right away. She wondered if she’d offended him. Amanda sat back down and took a bite of her now-lukewarm lasagna. Her phone vibrated again, and she grabbed it.

Help.

Okay, that was creepy. This was turning into one of those horror movies where someone sends out a vague cry for help and then half the characters in the movie die.

With what?

She really hoped it didn’t have something to do with a dark basement.

Will you meet me outside the pool locker room tomorrow at lunch?

Well, it wasn’t a basement, but still more cryptic than she liked. She paused. Maybe she should stop going to so many horror movies, especially with how often she was home alone. It didn’t seem to be doing good things for her psyche.

All right. As soon as she typed it in, she groaned. Was she really going to give up lunch with her friends to be scowled at by Cameron Taylor? It seemed that was the only thing he did when she was with him. But he had said he needed her help, and that meant he must be desperate, considering who he was asking it from. Am I supposed to come prepared with a secret password or special knock or something?

She pushed send. It was another moment before he answered.

Just be there.

Ooh, testy. Apparently he didn’t appreciate her sense of humor. Well, maybe she could remedy that the next day.

* * * * *

Amanda placed her physics book in her locker and turned to walk toward the swimming pool. Her heart rate spiked; she wanted nothing more than to get this over this.

“Where are you going?” Gracie asked when Amanda turned to walk in the opposite direction of the cafeteria.

She paused mid-step and glanced over her shoulder to where Gracie and Sandra were looking at her expectantly. They always walked to lunch together. “I…have to go by the drama room for something really quick. I’ll meet up with you in a minute.”

Sandra raised an eyebrow. “Really.”

“Uh-huh.” Amanda’s voice squeaked and she hurried away as she called back over her shoulder, “See you in a bit.”

She wasn’t sure why she had lied to her friends just then. Well, she knew one of the reasons. As soon as they found out she was sneaking away to meet up with a boy, they’d never let her live it down. Never mind that it wasn’t for any of the reasons that would be racing through their minds.

As she walked the long hallway, Amanda wiped her hands on her pants. Why was she so nervous? So what if Cameron Taylor had somehow tracked down her phone number and sent her a cryptic message asking for help? It wasn’t like she was meeting him in an alleyway or something sketchy like that.

Amanda rounded a corner and saw Cameron pacing in front of the pool locker room. As soon as she approached, he grabbed her arm and steered her toward the doors that led to the pool.

Okay. Maybe it was sketchy.

“Why are we going in here?” Amanda asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

As soon as they were inside, Cameron released her arm. He glanced around, as if making sure they were alone. Amanda took a step back toward the exit. Cameron noticed and threw her a look of bewildered amusement. “Do I make you nervous?”

Amanda held her head high and forced a smile as she said, “Of course not.” She tried to laugh, just for good measure, but he didn’t seem to buy it.

Instead, he shook his head and walked over to a bench that sat against the wall. He collapsed onto it and leaned back.

Amanda immediately noticed how tired he looked, but she wasn’t sure it was physical fatigue. He seemed more like a person who was tired of carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, only to have it all come crashing down on him. She had seen that look on her mom many times since her dad died.

“You okay?” Amanda asked, taking a tentative step forward. She felt like an intruder, but reminded herself that Cameron had been the one to invite her.

“My sister says if I don’t make a real effort, I won’t be allowed to rejoin the swim team. She overheard Mr. Kent and Coach Kall talking after rehearsal.”

“I can’t imagine your coach was happy about that,” Amanda said, taking another couple of steps forward.

Cameron gave a bitter laugh. “No, it didn’t sound like he was. But apparently this is part of my ‘rehabilitation.’” He made air quotes with his fingers. “That’s just another way to say they are punishing me, and if I don’t learn to jump through their hoops, they have the power to make my life miserable.”

Amanda stopped next to the bench. “Isn’t it possible they are trying to help you?”

Cameron cocked an eyebrow. “Help how? I have never had the inclination to go into acting, and I don’t see how me being stuck in the play has any relevance to what I did.”

“You mean, besides attacking the drama club with your rats?” Amanda said as she dropped onto the bench next to him.

“Well, that’s a bit harsh,” Cameron said, suddenly squirming like he was uncomfortable. “I had no control over where the rats went.”

“Which was kind of the problem.” Amanda stared out across the water in the pool. “And you don’t seem to feel too bad about it, either.” She thought back to when Cameron had mocked her afterward for jumping around and screaming. Any sane person would have had the same response.

“I feel bad,” he protested.

“Yes, about your swim meet being canceled. And about being punished.” Feeling suddenly bold, she added, “Maybe what they want you to learn has nothing to do with acting or swimming. And maybe it has everything to do with empathy.”

“Like you know anything about empathy,” Cameron muttered.

Surprised, Amanda turned to face him. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, come on,” Cameron said with an eye roll. “I’ve heard about the parties you throw at your gigantic house. You don’t know what it’s like to live like ninety-nine percent of the people in Lakeview. How could you?”

Amanda fumed. Yeah, she wasn’t going to be able to work with this guy. She stood to leave. “This is why you brought me here? To insult me?”

Cameron jumped to his feet. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He paused. “Please don’t leave.”

She had been ready to walk right out of there, but the way he apologized so quickly gave her pause. He hadn’t said what he needed her help with yet, and judging from his panicked expression, it was important. “You have ten seconds, and then I’m out of here.”

Cameron gave a small nod as he averted his gaze. “My sister said I need to get my act together—both figuratively and literally—and she suggested I practice with you outside rehearsals where there isn’t so much pressure.”

“Why can’t you just run lines at home in front of a mirror like everyone else?”

Cameron’s panicked expression returned in full force. “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Something was definitely going on, and Cameron didn’t look like he was about to tell her what. But he also seemed completely genuine in that moment, and Amanda didn’t think she could turn him down. Because whatever Cameron thought of her, he was wrong about one thing. She did have empathy. And she recognized when someone needed help.

“All right. When did you want to start?”